Is it even possible?

Colleges & Universities Princeton University
1

for a kid with a C on their transcript to even consider an Ivy? Do kids who are bright and within the SAT range for an Ivy with a decent GPA (3.8-4.2) even stand a chance at consideration if they do not have something amazing on their application? Meaning, if you have good extracurriculars - 4 year commitment to several ECs with awards and some leadership, but nothing incredible - as in, no national awards, haven’t started their own business, only a few APs, etc. - would a kid like that even stand a chance at admission to an Ivy, if they had a super essay or could show great interest in a particular major? Or is every student who gets admitted really a top 1%er without a single low grade?

DC has a demonstrated interest in a lower Ivy and another SLAC, and is a talented kid, but not one of the top stars of his school. Is it even worth applying if the GPA and ACT are in the lower end of that Ivy’s range, but the kid got a C in AP Euro Junior year? We know these schools are crazy competitive even for the class valedictorian types, but are there any Ivy students who had a less than stellar grade or score in their admissions packet who ended up getting accepted?

2

The odds of admission at any of the Ivys are extremely low for an unrecruited applicant, even with stellar grades and awards/accomplishments. While I am not an admissions officer and therefore cannot predict an outcome, I believe the presence of a single low grade is unlikely to be the single determining factor in an admission decision. It is more likely to be the general very low odds of admission at any of the most highly selective schools.

Ultimately, if the applicant scores in the range of most accepted students and can accept the odds of an offer of admission, there is no harm in applying to a couple “far reach” schools as well as some matches/safeties.